Historically and statistically, most joint ventures and business combinations have short and difficult lives. Lawyers can assist with preparation and negotiation of best of class, workable and practical corporate and legal structures and agreements. But only the parties, the would-be partners, can make the combined business work and succeed.

The first comprehensive Slovak foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regime entered into force on 1 March 2023. Now that the first year of this new FDI regime is behind us, below we summarise the key takeaways based on our practical experience with this law.

In December 2023, The New York Times (“NYT”) filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement and misuse of intellectual property, all related to the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.

“Water resilience” is joining AI, competitiveness and sovereignty, as a new buzzword in Brussels’ policy-making conversations. But while the latter three concepts are rather intangible, water resilience is a more concrete concept, and is also a life-threatening problem.

It has been a long time coming and is among the most requested changes in criminal procedure law. Finally, on 24 April 2024, the Austrian government presented a draft bill aimed at increasing the contribution to legal costs for suspects acquitted in criminal proceedings. While it is a giant step forward, serious doubts remain about whether it goes far enough.

In the realm of modern politics, where every move is meticulously calculated and every tactic scrutinized, the strategic employment of intellectual property (IP) has emerged as a potent tool for political parties. From catchy slogans to iconic logos, intellectual property has become integral to shaping public perception and garnering support during election seasons. However, the fine line between legitimate use and exploitation of IP often blurs, raising ethical and legal questions about the (ab)use of intellectual property by political entities.

On January 1, 2024, the amendments to the Law on Fees for the Use of Public Goods, published in the Official Gazette of RS No. 92/2023 (“the Law”), came into effect.

This Top 10 Corporate Law Judgments 2023 summary provides a clear and concise overview of key Supreme Court decisions in corporate law for 2023.

As of 1 April 2024, the decree of the Hungarian National Bank on the processing of payment transactions has been amended, which particularly affects the process of immediate transfers.

We continue to deal with court decisions that creatively interpret the provisions of the Labor Law concerning the termination of employment contracts, thereby introducing significant legal uncertainty in practice.

In the ever-evolving landscape of legal technology, two notable players, SauLM-7B, and Harvey AI, have emerged with the aim of revolutionizing legal assistance through artificial intelligence. SauLM-7B and Harvey AI compete for prominence in the legal tech arena, their names both carrying a subtle nod to the realm of popular TV series – from Saul Goodman's legal antics in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul to Harvey Specter's suave maneuvers in Suits.

Recently, Law No 414/2023 on the conduct of representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers (hereinafter Law 414/2023 or the Law), transposing Directive 2020/1828/EU on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers and repealing Directive 2009/22/EC (hereinafter Directive 2020/1828), entered into force.

Convenience fee is the part of our everyday life that seems to be a usually small but inconvenient price to pay for shopping online. But is it indeed a necessity? The Prosecution Service of Hungary intends to find out exactly that.

Following the development of the EU legislation and reflecting market needs and increasing interest in trading with guarantees of origin, the Bulgaria’s Ministry of Energy adopted new Ordinance No. Е-РД-04-2 of 2 April 2024 on guarantees of origin of energy from renewable sources. The new Ordinance was promulgated in State Gazette No. 32 on 9 April 2024.

As technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to record any conversation. Today, anyone with a smartphone can easily record business meetings - even in secret. There are many reasons for making a secret recording: for some it may be a security measure to avoid disputes, for others it may be an ulterior motive to use it later. But is it legally permissible to make an audio recording in secret? And what are the consequences of using a secretly made audio recording in a civil or criminal case?

On 15 February 2024, the Albanian Parliament adopted law no. 18/2024 “On some amendments and addendums on law no. 155/2015 ‘On gambling in the Republic of Albania’, as amended” (the “Gambling Law”). The amendment overturned a five-year ban on sports betting activities in Albania and entered into force on 27 March 2024.

Based on a Hungarian case, on 14 March 2024 the Court of Justice ruled that the supervisory authority of a Member State, to ensure that the GDPR is fully enforced, may order the erasure of unlawfully processed data even if prior request by the data subject has not been submitted. Such erasure may cover data collected from the affected person and data originating from another source.

The reasoning behind the draft laws not included in the laws those provisions from the EU regulations that can be applied only by the member states of the European Union, as well as those that prescribe obligations only for the member states, is questionable.